The Government’s new Housing for All plan will create 27,000 new construction jobs, according to the Housing Minister.

The €4bn per year plan pledges to build an average of 33,000 a year, rising to 40,000 by 2030.

The plan is funded to the tune of €20bn up to 2026 when it will be reviewed.

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien admitted that the sector will need to find more workers if the plan is to hit its targets.

“We need to build up capacity in the sector,” he said. “The sector actually has contracted by about 10% in human resources because of the pandemic – many people in the sector left and went to continental Europe and Britain.

“Thankfully some of them are coming back. This plan will create 27,000 new construction jobs. There are real opportunities here in construction for people to come back in.”

Workers

He said the lack of workers will make it impossible to build 30,000 homes in the early days of the plan.

“For those who are saying that straight away we could build 30,000 or 40,000 homes this year and next, unfortunately that is not the case,” he said.

“It is not true that that could be done because we need those human resources, those women and men, to come back into the sector.

“We need extra workers in the sector. We need our young people leaving school as well to look at apprenticeships and trades as real options for them.”

The plan also includes a commitment to end homelessness by 2030.

Homelessness

Minister O’Brien said the target is challenging but achievable.

“We have actually made some serious strides in the last 12 to 14 months,” he said. “Child and family homeless is down over 40%.

“Homelessness is still far too high particularly with our singles but on behalf of the country and the State, I signed the Lisbon declaration with EU partners that committed us to working to eradicate homelessness by 2030.

“I am going to expand the new tenancies for those who are really at the sharp end of homelessness. The people who may have health, mental health and addiction issues.

“The previous Government brought out the Housing First approach which means there are wrap-around service when you get your home.

“We are going expand that out further right across the county and increase the number of tenancies so yeah it is a challenge there is no question.”

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